[fluid-dev] API design: fluid_synth_process()

[Tom M.]

I thought to release a beta in the nearer future. But I would like to have the 
API ready before I do so. One function that still strikes me is 
fluid_synth_process() [1]. It's lacking a real implementation for 15 years. If 
we dont get it right now, we'll never do, so we better discuss it.

This function is used for pulling synthesized audio from the synth. It's said 
to become the "generic interface in future versions". Although its usage is 
discouraged as being still "experimental", it's already established due to 
being required for the callback function of new_fluid_audio_driver2() [2].

Despite the fact that this function ignores two of its arguments, I just dont 
know how to properly tell it which channels to map to which output buffers. I'm 
thinking here in the scope of a "future release" that might support surround 
audio and rendering effects of each midi channel to separate stereo / surround 
buffers.

Does anybody have an idea how to deal with this function (preferably without 
changing its signature)? Any idea of how those two ignored arguments could be 
used? Would welcome any thoughts (esp. from a user perspective).

Tom

[1]: 
http://www.fluidsynth.org/api/synth_8h.html#a1ac90e2732aa652679305f78cbd66670
[2]: 
http://www.fluidsynth.org/api/audio_8h.html#a3959d8add1dea97e507a5ea2c802c0bc